Europe may cut military role in Afghanistan

The United States is worried about weakening Italian and German military commitments in Afghanistan as casualties increase in the fight to stem the bloody Taliban insurgency, officials said.
Debate is raging in Italy and Germany, and to a lesser extent the Netherlands and Denmark, on whether they should remain in the International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf), already grappling with a shortage of troops in the face of one of the most intense military engagements in decades.
"There is a good prospect that we are going to lose some" contributions from certain countries, a US administration official told AFP, as European nations face upcoming votes at home on their reconstruction, military and training commitments in Afghanistan.
The Nato-led 37-nation Isaf and a separate US-led coalition, in total about 50,000 foreign soldiers, are together with Afghan security forces fighting to block the return to power of the Taliban after the hardline Islamic militia was ousted in late 2001.
But with the fighting now at its toughest since then, and more deaths among Isaf forces -- including the friendly fire" incident Friday that killed three British soldiers -- Washington is deeply worried about eroding support for the effort.
"It will be disappointing if there are fewer Nato partners that are involved in this mission," the US official said.
"Italy and Germany are the ones that are of serious concern," the official added, citing Italy as "one that we are really concerned about."
With 2,500 troops, Italy heads Nato's Herat-based regional command in western Afghanistan.
Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema recently blamed a lack of coordination between US and Isaf forces for hundreds of Afghan civilian deaths, which he called "morally unacceptable."
In Germany, where polls show a strong 64 percent majority calling for withdrawal, parliament would have to vote on whether to continue with commitments for reconstruction, military deployment and training of Afghan forces.
The United States is particularly worried about the military commitment.
Witnesses said yesterday that clashes between coalition troops and Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan left at least 18 civilians dead. Nato officials, however, said no noncombatants were killed.
The alleged civilian deaths occurred in the southern Helmand province. Coalition and Afghan troops clashed late Saturday with militants near the Taliban-controlled town of Musa Qala.
A spokeswoman for Nato's International Security Assistance Force said that 12 militants were killed during the overnight clash.